Supporters' fury increases as protest is planned for Cheltenham

Manchester United fans called on the club's major shareholders to come clean over their intentions on Wednesday, following the news that John Magnier and JP McManus have increased their investment in United by £20m to take their overall shareholding through the Cubic Expression Group to 28.89 per cent.

A demonstration against the Irish pair is expected before tonight's Premiership match with Middlesbrough at Old Trafford, while further anti-Magnier songs are expected as a continued reaction to his ongoing legal battle with Sir Alex Ferguson over the record-breaking stallion Rock Of Gibraltar.

"Why don't they just tell us what they can bring to the table in terms of making the football club better?" said Oliver Houston, a spokesman for the influential fans' group Shareholders United. "The board is currently run by high-class, experienced people and it would be a disaster to have the board split.

"These guys have already shown they are prepared to attack the club, its manager and its fans. What we appear to have seen today is an attempt to take control of the club without trying to buy 100 per cent of the shares, and the fans will reject any notion of it.

"They might say they are entitled to seats on the board because they own a percentage of the club but the fans own part of the club as well. The board's task is to run Manchester United for the benefit of everyone, not just for two people.

"It is about time these guys stepped out of the shadows and told us what exactly they are intending to achieve."

It is a stance which has been backed by the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association.

"We anticipated this as the latest move in a game of brinkmanship," the IMUSA chairman, Jules Spencer, said. "It is time for them to put up or shut up. They should tell us what their intentions are. We are prepared for a lengthy battle."

Officials at Cheltenham racecourse are considering a request by United supporters to stage a protest against Magnier and McManus at next month's Festival meeting. The "United 4 Action" group are hoping that 250 of their number will join what they intend to be a "peaceful, vocal" protest on Gold Cup Day, 18 March.

"We are trying to get our heads around how a private dispute should threaten the enjoyment of 60,000 people on what is our big day, and trying to understand the connection is still quite baffling," Cheltenham's managing director, Edward Gillespie, said.

"I am treating this as a request for a facility and we are considering that request. It's by no means a threatening letter. Let's at the moment give them credit for writing a very civil request and I shall give them a civil response. We still have five weeks to go, which is a relatively long period, and is in our favour.

"But it is an unusual request. It is not something that is anything to do with our race meeting and there is no association between the email I received and any official Manchester United supporters' group.

"Our first priority is to preserve the safety of the horses and the riders and there's no suggestion here that it is being threatened."